JAXA's Kaguya/SELENE Mission Completed with Controlled Impact on Lunar Surface June 10, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : Japan, Kaguya, Peak of Eternal Light, SELENE-2 , add a comment
This morning, Japan’s Kaguya (also known as SELENE) lunar orbiter (launched in September 2007) made a controlled impact with the lunar surface, ending what has been a highly successful mission.
That is a map released today of the orbiter’s impact location (near the Moon’s south pole).
A look at the some of the most significant accomplishments of the mission:
- Took tons of spectacular HD images and video of the Moon, including inspiring videos of Earthrises. Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut, called the media “the closest thing to being there he had experienced since ‘being there’ in lunar orbit in 1972″. Check out JAXA‘s official image gallery and especially, their awesome Youtube channel for tons of
- Returned data that surprisingly disproved the concept of “Peaks of Eternal Light” on the Moon. While the data showed that some polar areas still recieved sunlight as much as 89% of the time, there proved to be no areas that were always illuminated (which would have provided a year-round solar power source).
- Provided important new information on the gravity map of the far side of the Moon, showing ntoable differences between the near and far sides of the Moon
- Blazed a path for future Japanese operations and presence on the Moon
JAXA’s next mission, SELENE-2, is set to deliver a lunar rover to the surface and perform research on lunar geology and lunar base issues (surface construction, dust, radiation, etc.).
JAXA put out a call for images of the orbiter’s impact, and other agencies such as the European Space Agency are churning out further information on the craft’s finale, so keep an eye here for more images, video, and details as they come along over the next few days :)
Here’s an HDTV video uploaded yesterday, that’s low-altitude near the crater Zeeman, and one of the best I’ve seen so far:
Japan's SELENE Disproves Concept of 'Peak of Eternal Light' on the Moon March 5, 2009
Posted by Nick Azer in : Japan, Kaguya, Malapert, Peak of Eternal Light, Polar ice, Shackleton, solar power , 4comments
In what seems to be a little-noticed but highly important development for lunar base planning, Japan‘s SELENE (also known as Kaguya) lunar orbiter last month determined that the concept of a ‘Peak of Eternal Light‘ at either of the lunar poles does not exist.
The possibility of a Peak of Eternal Light at one of several locations, including the rim of Shackleton Crater or on Malapert (both at the South Pole), made those locations prime candidates for early lunar bases. Having eternal sunlight is, clearly, an advantage for any outpost relying largely on solar power :) .
Some of these points at the lunar poles do have as much as 89% illumination, though, so they remain very strong locations as far as near-constant solar power.
The pessimists of the universe, though, will rejoice in knowing that permanent shadow was confirmed to exist–leading to potential water ice.
The JAXA team’s findings were published in the U.S. journal of Geophysics last month.
India's Chandrayaan Flags the Moon November 16, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Chandrayaan-1, Current News, Helium-3, Indian Space Research Organization, lander, Peak of Eternal Light, Shackleton, Youtube , 1 comment so far
I’ve been flagging “Chandrayaan” on a lot of my moon posts as of late, but now the Chandrayaan-1 has done me one better, flagging something itself: the Moon.
The craft’s Moon Impact Probe, carrying the Indian Tricolour (pictured above) on its side, landed on the Moon on Friday, making India the fifth (or fourth; videos seems to state fourth, but that linked article from the India Times states fifth) world entity (after the U.S., Russia, Japan, and the 17-nation ESA) to reach the surface of the Moon.
That is a picture the Moon Impact Probe took before impact (from the India Times); the prode landed just 32km from the all-important Shackleton Crater near the South Pole, a very likely location for a future full-fledged colony or colonies (due to its rim being a Peak of Eternal Light, a.k.a. eternal solar power and other benefits). So its likely that future colonists (robotic or otherwise) will come across, or at least take field trips to, this Indian tricolor in the future :)
Below is a great video from CCTV on the Probe’s landing, which rather interestingly, also confirms the active Indian interest in helium-3 (something not mentioned in the official ISRO Moon Impact Probe page):
Picture of the Week: That's No Space Station… July 11, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Malapert, Peak of Eternal Light, Picture of the Week, Shackleton , add a comment
Picture of the Week: Shackleton Crater+ Malapert April 9, 2008
Posted by Nick Azer in : Malapert, Peak of Eternal Light, Picture of the Week, Shackleton , add a comment
